Sunday, 1 November 2015

Can you believe it's November already? I suppose everyone is saying it, but it really does feel like this year has flown by and it feels like an age since I have blogged, but I promise to be more frequent with it from now one - Girl Guides promise!

So to kick start November I've pulled together a select few favourite products that really did help get me through a complicated october.

These products have helped keep my face, hair and body in check while I've been adjusting to life and conditions in Brighton.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub:This is a firm keeper for me, it's not been tested on animals, if it lands on my tongue it's edible and tastes like it says on the tin, so I don't feel sick and a wee bit of exfoliating with this and my lips don't just feel softer and ready to have my lipstick applied but it makes them a teeny bit bigger. I'm no Kylie Jenner but it's definitely a confidence boost.

Would I repurchase?Yes, always yes, but I may have to try they're Christmas one next!

Benefit They're Real Mascara:If there is a holy grail of mascaras, I think this may be it! They're real does make my lashes seem so much longer and it doesn't leave me with panda eyes either after a night out or a particularly bad day on the slog. Plus I have rather sensitive eyes and it doesn't bother them,

Would I repurchase? This actually is a repurchase and I think I would again.

Benefit They're Real Remover: Trouble was when I first tried the mascara, was a buggar to get off. But Benefit were way ahead of me and brought out this little beauty, so when I saw you got this and they eyeliner free with the mascaras they were the perfect trio to get me through the month.

Would I repurchase? It's been brill and a favey this month, but the price does put me off a little, perhaps next pay day!

Benefit They're Real Eyeliner:Like the mascara I've always been on the lookout for a liner that wouldn't leave me with panda eyes, and this does just the job. It is a little tricky to get the hang of when applying to begin with but I got there in the end and I really love the flick and the look it gives.

Would I repurchase? I already have! It's worth it to me and a little goes a long way so I couldn't resist!

MAC lipstick matte in Ruby Woo: Ever wonder what I use to get that perfect red lip finish? Well it's this bad boy! It's a brilliant colour that last hours on end! There's so many reasons it's a cult classic and it definitely merits a post of it's own - so keep your eyes peeled!

Would I repurchase? Of course, why fix what isn't broken!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing water:I've loved this since I pinched it off my sister ages ago and started using it, until I reckon she caught on and I got my own (sorry if you're reading this Bec, you just have great taste!) It's brilliant for getting rid of even the most stubborn make up (except They're Real!) and doesn't leave any sticky residue on your face after using.

E45 Cream:I have a lot of allergies and when I suffered a sever allergic reaction this last month my skin has been unruly and accepted nothing on it. But it was actually my Dad that told me to get this as he said it helped when this happened to my skin when I was younger. I did and my skin felt softer by the day. It unscented and leaves skin feeling lovely and soft, it's really become a bit of a beauty staple for me and it's great for dry skin with the changing weather.

Would I repurchase? Everytime, even just to have it around in case of a particularly bad skin day!

Schwarzkopf got2be volumizing spray mousse:This is fab, if like me you don't revel in the idea of tipping your head upside down to apply mousse and then have to guess at where you've put it. It allows you to evenly apply throughout your hair and it really does give it some oomph after drying!

Would I repurchase? It was really good, but I like to chop and change my hair products, if I can find a different one with a similar applicator I might try that instead.

So, those have been my October favourites and they really have done me a world of good with the odd month it has been with the weather not knowing what it was doing - though I feel we have now hit a true descent into winter and I'm bloody excited!

I'd love to know what your thoughts are on my October favourites and I would definitely love you to send me yours!

Tata for now!

P.S As it's November first we are officially allowed to be excited for Christmas:

Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing. Ring ting tingle-ing too. Come on, it's lovely weather. For a sleigh ride together with you

Monday, 21 September 2015

My job is the best - I know you may hear that a lot from people, but mine just is. It has allowed me to do some brilliant activities and get some amazing things, Most recently, I went for a spa day at a 4 star hotel in the Lake District: Armathwaite Hall Spa.

I won't make you all pea green with envy by recalling my luxurious day of (needed) stress-relieving R&R, but I did pick up a few bits and pieces while I was there. These are; three ORLY nail polishes and an ORLY hand cream.

I'm really fussy when it comes to what I put on my hands and smells, so the ORLY Rich Renewal Hydrating Crème in Paradise was perfect for me. It's actually a body, hand and foot creme, however I have been using it on my hands to give them that well deserved pampering. The lychee and pomegranate scent is light but luxurious and for a rich cream, it hydrates but leaves no sticky residue on the skin and a little really does go a long way, so no need to bathe in the stuff . Also, it wasn't until after I purchased I realised Amanda Holden had been snapped using it as a back stage fave - so if it's good enough for the stars a £5, I can't go wrong!

I'm, admittedly quite the nail polish addict so the ORLY Mani Mini's are just fab, they meant I could try a colour I fancy, decide how much I like it and go full out with a big one. The colours I picked were aimed at the coming autumn winter months. a bit of vibrancy or colour, while keeping those fall tones in there. The polish itself is easy to glide on and has brilliant staying power, I've become a bit addicted to all three, swapping between the three frequently now. With these I recommend putting on thin layers then and waiting a good 30 minutes before going mad with the hand actions. But I wore one colour for a whole week without needing any top-ups or needing to reapply, so I'm now definitely considering upgrading to some bigger sizes!

ORLYis a product I'd never really used often, especially after my Mam used to rave about their anti-aging range back when I was a teen, so I didn't really look into what they have to offer. That's all about to change now, as I know I've put a few bits and pieces from their products on my overextending birthday list!

I would definitely recommend these products and I would definitely recommend a trip to Armathwaite Hall next time you're in the Lakes - but you can read more about that at The Egremont 2day

Have you tried any orly products or these I have above? If so, let me know, I would love to know what you think!

Rachael

xx

P.S I shall leave you with an enviable photo of me in the hydrotherapy hot tub!

Saturday, 15 August 2015

Has someone ever said something to you and you’ve just gone, “errr, thanks?”, like you weren’t even sure if it was a compliment or a blatant insult? Well that’s what happened to me when I went out the other night. I feel like I fell victim to either an insidious insult or a backhanded compliment.

Normally I wouldn’t wear my glasses on a night out, because with drink in me they don’t make a blind bit of difference (get it ‘blind bit’?), but I wasn’t drinking and I was texting back and forth with a friend, so they were more than necessary with my eyesight, (it’s not terrible, but I should wear my glasses more than I do, as I got told by the optician when i was like four and it’s got worse since about december when I started with trouble with sinuses), anyway, when I was out, I went to reapply my lippy in the toilets when a girl turned to me and so innocently said “You're really pretty, especially for a girl in glasses” to which my reply was “errm, thank you?”.

Like I said, I wasn't drunk, but I still couldn’t seem to fathom whether what she said to me was an insult or not and frankly I had no desire to continue our conversation, so I didn’t ask her what she meant.

But what did she mean? Why do people say things in such a backhanded way? Why be so passive aggressive?

It reminded me of a time a girl went “I wish I was as confident as you to wear a dress that revealing.” about a plunge dress I wore not too long back (which is actually one of my favourite LBD’s) which, let’s be honest mean’s ‘I think you look a little slaggy’

In fact, my Fiance gave me a backhanded compliment once when he said “I’m glad you’re so normal compared to my last girlfriend” which normally would translate to “you’re a complete boring plain jane lass!” – but in his case it was actually meant to be a compliment as we’d found out he had an ex who was a bit of the erratic (nutter) type.

So yes, I’d fallen victim to the backhanded compliment. it wasn’t my first time and it surely won’t be my last.

Perhaps people say things in this way to be nice about how they really feel, maybe it’s jealousy, or maybe they’re just a massive twat, I’ll never know.

But what I’m wondering is, what has been the best zinger of a backhanded compliment you’ve heard?

I'm going to be really honest, I can't wait for autumn. As much as I enjoyed the one or two days of summer I've had, I'm happy to pack away bikini's and summer dresses in favour of my oxblood jeans, capes and boots. It must be a northern thing to thrive in the colder weather and damper seasons. But with autumn brings a change in weather, which means I need a change in some of the products I use in favour of some more autumny goods. So I've created my first wishlist of the season - and really my first one in what feels like an age.

MAC, Studded Kiss (Matte) : RRP £15.50
I love a red lip, it's my trademark after all, so I won't be trading that in for winter, so I do feel like opting for a more vampy shade for the season and studded kiss by MAC screams just that. There's others similar, but I do love a matte lipstick, I think they last so much longer, and with the long days I planned in autumn, this ticks all the boxes - but don't worry, I won't be packing away my Ruby Woo all together.

Illamasqua, sculpting palette: RRP £44
I've heard this little miss can do wonders for the face, and I'm dying to find new contouring and highlighting products that will define my features, which can often be lost with a rounder face. This palette boasts each powder glides onto skin effortlessly, allowing for swift blending and enviable sculpted definition created in seconds. Bloggers have raved, so I definitely need to try this.

Origins, GingZing moisturiser: RRP £24
This has become quite the cult product of it's own and after a tester, it made it's way onto my wishlist. I tried it last autumn and had meant to purchase it, but instead waited too long and opted for a more spring time moisturiser. This autumn I'm excited to get my hands on this energy booster, which I have a feeling I'll need in the coming months.

Elizabeth Arden, Eight Hour Cream: RRP £26
This will be more of a repurchase for me as I already own and love it, in fact you can review of it HERE. I do use this product all year round, mainly for my nose when I get the sniffles, but I love using it to keep my skin going in the harsher weather.

Barry M, Gelly Hi Shine nail polish in Chai: RRP £3.99
This is an absolute bargain, and even after interviewing Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen earlier in the year, I must disagree that grey is the new beige, in a negative way (he loves colour - just not yellow, I do agree there) I love Barry M Barry Gelly polish, it glides on, last ages and really does shine, plus this colour will be very fitting for autumn in my opinion.

Maybelline, Great Lash Waterproof Mascara: RRP £4.99
Cheap, cheerful and a mega cult product. What's not to love about this, it's a legendary product I remember my mum buying me as a young teen and really does what it says on the tin. A great day to night product and it's waterproof - now I really can tackle a Cumbrian winter in style!

So this is my first wishlist of the autumn season. Though it's not autumn yet, and I actually got a sunburnt back today, I can't wait for the lovely fall to fall upon us.

Friday, 7 August 2015

Well my lovely readers, I've gone an got my hair chopped and it's the shortest it's been in seven years. Though it's not dramatic, due to the fact I didn't exactly have mermaid hair, it's still pretty different and it had me thinking at what kinds of transformations my hair has gone through in seven years!

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

With summer officially settled in (and perhaps gone) and with no abroad holidays on the horizons this year (I do have a wedding to save for after all) I had not the greatest chance of getting a tan, plus with my Irish-descent milk bottle pins, laying out in the sun, waiting for the sun to hit is not the best idea, so over the years I've established ways in which I can fake it and not bake it! In a bid to help all ladies in the same position as me, at work I did a column giving my 5 tips to fake tan as part of our summer kick off.

One of the things I always stress with tanning is you need a good base; otherwise you could end up with streaky, patchy, dry and frankly unattractive tanned badly skin!

With this in mind I went in seach of a scrub that would do the job, yet not be too harsh on my sensitive skin and a moisturiser that would mess with the tan development.

I'd always known about the St Tropez range of polish and moisturiser, but being skeptical and on my wedding budget I wasn't willing to splurge. But when the local Factory shop leaflet came through the post advertising these bad boys for £3 a pop, I couldn't say no, as £6 for both is by far better than £29 I'd spend in Boots.

So, how did they do?

St Tropez, Tan Optimiser, Body Polish: £3 (RRP £15.39 at Boots)

This creamy polish was just lovely to use; it lathered well and needn't be applied liberally as it goes along way. The little scrubby beads (A technical term, obvs!) are tough enough to get the job done, without being too abrasive on sensitive skin.

I've been using it to not only prep my skin for tanning, by using it to exfoliate and remove the dead skin cells, but I've also used it again around three days after tanning to aid with the gradual fading and to avoid that post-weekend night out blotchy-patchy faded look at work.

Would I repurchase?

Well I'm certainly going to be stocking up on it while it's so cheap, but I'm not sure I can justify paying nearly £16 for a glorified body scrub - albeit, a really really good one to use before and in between tanning.lo

St Tropez, Tan Optimiser, Body Moisturiser: £3 (RRP £12.95 at Boots)

Firstly I must point out, I had imagined this to smell like fake tan for some reason, but in fact, it actually has a very light fragrance to it wtih scents of coco butter and aloe vera. It's fab because even when applied liberally, it leaves no sticky residue.

Once dry it gives a really smooth base to work with when tanning and I think it did help with even coverage. I also like to think it helped prolong my tan as it definitely lasted longer when I applied in between my tanning application. I've also read due to it's ingredients it helps prolong a natural tan, but unfortunately, I have't really had the luxury this year.

Would I repurchase?

I really enjoyed using this and it left my skin super soft and my tan has definitely glowed. But I'm not sure I'll repurchase to use everyday due to the RRP, but I may get it to aid with my night out prep!

So that's my views on the St Tropez tan optimising polish and moisturiser and overall, I'm pretty pleased. I've also learnt the lesson never to imiditatly throw away those pesky leaflets that come through my door, as they may hold the success to a few thrifty buys!

Have you tried these products? If so, I'd love to know your thoughts, comment below and if you've reviewed them, leave a link!

With summer at the doorstep there finally comes the moment to shed off the turtlenecks and put away those poncho's in favour for some short-shorts and a bikini crop top, right? However this can be a rather dreaded moment for women all over the world (and men), because whether you've been sticking to a strict regime of exercise since January first, or not, there is always something we dread to show off in the summer.

This obviously isn't helped by all those magazines we see with sexy ladies in they itty-bitty bikinis looking all golden and toned, whilst in reality we're sat at home possibly half a stone heavier than we'd like to be with the milk bottles beaming.

They were a bit on show, but why not?

However today, I'm not hating on the magazines or the models - because good on them for looking fab and having the confidence to be seen by thousands of people daily. I know I bloody couldn't - I'm angry about all the women, who're equally as imperfect as me, yet feel they have a right to comment on my body. I started a series of posts titled 'Knowing your Shape' - which are making a comeback soon (it seems the stresses of being an editor of a newspaper seem to come before my blog sometimes!) - where I literally couldn't give a sh*t what size or shape a women is, as long as she knows it, rocks it and dresses for it. And that is the only time I ever think about other women these days.

However, I was on a night out on Saturday and I was wearing a body-con plunge LBD, which I fell in love with. Buuut, I don't have the smallest boobs and I thought: 'Well if they're going to be out, in for a penny and all that!' So they were rather on show and I got some rather judgemental comments about my body. What gave these girls the right to? They weren't perfect, but I'm expected to be for them?

Me in my running kit; told you, I'm working on it.

There was also when I was bullied by my Fiance's ex and her friends, most of which are similar sizes to myself, but they called me all sorts of things and made me rather self conscious about certain aspects of myself. What gave them the right to? They certainly weren't perfect, but why was I judged because I'm not.

I'm not perfect, but I try my best to make the best of what I have. I'm 5'1, 9 st and 9lbs, wear a 32E bra and dip between a 10 and 12 pants as I have a bit of junk in my trunk (yerr, I cringed at that one too!) and don't have the thinnest thighs. But I dress well, ok, sometimes I now shy away from brighter colours (I'm working on it) but I won't sit and pretend there isn't anything I dislike about myself - But I'm working on it.

So I have one thing to say to all those girls that judge other girls' bodies and then sit thinking they're perfect - You're not perfect, no one is, in the slightest! But by being judgemental, you're not even a nice person. and to go back to an old school ground favourite - I can lose weight love, but you'll always be a massive bitch!

Just remember ladies, you hate you bum, someone would die for it. You hate your small boobs, hey, I'll swap you for a day! But whatever you dislike, remember those judging girls, they aren't perfect, they hate things about themselves too. Because no one's perfect, we're all perfectly imperfect!

So I leave you with a picture of me literally not giving a shit and just relaxing, all judgment-free!

Friday, 29 May 2015

Living so far away from London, when I actually went down for what turned out to be a successful interview, I made a mini holiday of it and I simply could NOT pass up an opportunity to visit the new four floor Lush on Oxford Street!

It was like walking into wonderland for beauty bloggers and Lush lovers alike! I'd only heard about the flagship superstore a couple of weeks prior to my journey down, but as soon as I did it got added into the trip's itinerary.

The superstore was not only filled with all of our lovely Lush faves, but also contained over 200 new products, some of which exclusive to the London store including, bubble bars, bath bombs, hair care, face masks and an entire new range of make up - I was literally in heaven.

I can't quite describe what it was like but I had my handy camera man on the job to take some stellar photos for me to share: (Sorry there's quite a lot of photo's I kind of made him get snap happy!)

Beautiful shapes and sizes of soaps!

New exclusive bubble bars!

Take you pills and bombs!

Beautiful rustic displays.

It stole my heart!

I'd have them up as decoration too!

They have lipstick in a stick form!!!

The testing station - I just wanted to play with it all!

They even tempted me at the tills!

Such colourful and beautiful face masks!

The soap of the store itself.

I LOVED these little flamingos!

Of course I had to try some make up on!

Of course I did a bit of shopping, but when it was time to leave I was utterly devastated to go!

Look out for my upcoming post of my London haul featuring some reviews and of course my lush goodies!

Lush Oxford Street was an utter treat to explore and if you head over to Counting Cows you can find out why I was in London, what I did and why I'm actually excited to say I WILL be going back this year for a little adventure around Lush again!

Have you been to Lush Oxford Street? If so, comment below with your links because I'd love to read about your adventures and see what caught your eye!

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

After spending the day with my Sister, gossiping and browsing through older photo's I decided on a whim I should get a fringe cut back in (or bangs, whatever you prefer to call them.)- Well I say a whim, that and a girl we know decided that imitation was the best form of flattery and had her hair cut like my previous do so I wanted something different for that reason and for the change of season (even though it actually snowed the next day! It's meant to be April!)

It also turns out around the same time the one and only Taylor Swift had the same thought and got her's back in too - so I feel as though I've been channelling my 'Inner-Swift' with this blonde bob and bangs look.

I'd looooove to know what all you lovelies think - and if you have any tips on channelling my 'inner-swift' in other ways, because I'd definitely love to have her height and figure! Hahaha!

P.S. Sorry about dodgy lighting on the pictures - they were taken on Instagram's finest!

Friday, 13 March 2015

Since its launch in 1988, Red Nose Day has become something of a British institution. It’s the day, every two years, when people across the land can get together and do something funny for money at home, school and work.

Here on 5'1 is the new 6'2, I'm pulling funny face selfies, with my red noses for Comic Relief. I've also caught The Great Comic Relief Bake Off bug and made some red heart shape cakes - all whilst wearing a classic red lip!

So, have you been doing something funny for #RND15 and Comic Relief on your blog? Send me the links! Now, just to watch Comic Relief and enjoy the evening - don't forget to donate though!

My skin is very sensitive and naturally prone to a blemish or two. So I need to take special care and attention when I'm choosing products to use on my face. These are just a couple of the facial care Lush products I've acquired recently.

Cupcake Fresh Face Mask:RRP: £6.50
Infused with Linseed oil, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla and Fresh Mint, this is like a relaxing, zingy and calming face mask that smells good enough to eat, but leaves your face feeling cleansed, soft, fresh and oil free, yet hydrated skin. After regular use, and a combination of other products I've seen a huge improvement in my skin.Pros: Smells delicious, you needn't use loads at once as it goes along way, made full of natural ingredients, preservative free so nothing harsh is going on my sensitive skin and has really contributed to clearing my not-so-teenage skin.

Cons: As it's free of preservatives it's got to be kept in the fridge. Though this isn't that much of an issue.

Full of Grace Facial Serum: RRP: £8.25
This solid serum bar has done wonders and replaced my night cream. It's deeply moisturising, without leaving my blemish prone skin oily or dry. It's very balancing due to the blend of portobello mushroom and calamine powder, and leaves a delicate scent thanks to the beautiful infusion of fresh rose petal and murumuru butter, which also aids the moisturising effect.

Pros: Fantastic used in combination with other products, such as a base to the cupcake face mask, as it helps the skin absorb all of the amazing oils. It lasts ages and it's great to help moisturise skin overnight. Gentle on combination skin, acne prone and oil skin. Very balancing.

Cons: Probably only the price for me as I've had no problems with it so far.

I have a few more Lush reviews to squeeze in between other post's- as I'm spreading them out, not to bombard you all with Lush review; even though they are amazing and addictive products!

I'd love to know what you all think of these products! Have you tried them? Any similar products you recommend to me?

Sunday, 1 March 2015

We moisturise, we cleanse, we pluck, we apply, we massage; as much as we care for our faces, sometimes we forget that our skin needs that extra care and attention, put into our beauty regimes, otherwise you'll see signs of damage and age sooner than you'd like.

My Mam would often scold me for rubbing moisturiser to vigorously or not taking my face off before sleeping - saying I'd damage my skin, lo and behold Mother knew best and I do have the odd fine line at only 22 and I have pretty sensitive skin anyway,

To combat this I've been doing my research at what the 7 deadly beauty sins are, that as much as we protest, all do!

1. Going to bed without removing make up!

I used to be sooo guilty of it it's unreal, especially after a night out. My Mam would always say, "Always take your make-up off before you sleep, to avoid getting spots, wrinkles and damaged skin" It's true, when you don't remove your make-up your skin is marinating a whole days worth of debris, dirt and oil over night. This can go into your pores and cause blemishes. You can also damage your eyes by leaving mascara and eyeliner on overnight. No matter how tired you are or how late you get in, remove that makeup and let your skin breathe overnight.

Quick Tip: If you're bad at remembering to take it off, set an alarm on your phone for daily use and if it's after a night out, set up all you need to remove make up when you come in, so you can easily stumble and remove the make up before the wine-induced slumber ensues!

2. Being too rough with our skin.

Whether it's rubbing in moisturisers or eye serum pulling downward, pushing too hard, or stretching skin will only lead to fine lines and wrinkles. Your eyes are the most sensitive area. As far as science goes at the moment, we only get one set of these, so treat them right! When rubbing skin use small circular and gentle motions - to sound weird, act as if you were handling a newborn! This applies for over exfoliating your skin, you do not need to scrub yourself raw to be exfoliated- be gentle!

Quick Tip: When holding eye-lids for example, when putting contact in, use your fourth and fifth fingers to hold them since these are weaker digits, skin won't be stretched as aggressively

3. Infrequent washing of make up brushes

Another I'm admittedly guilty of! Many experts say once a month is acceptable, but theres many of us that don't even do it that frequently. I once left mine for two and a half! I threw a few out, after that admittedly, however imagine all you skin goes through in a month. Blemishes come and go in that time, so what your skin goes through, so do your make up brushes! I endeavour to do mine every two-three weeks, if I've used them rather frequently. But also don't wash them too frequently as you don't want to damage your brushes.

Quick tip: Only wash the ends, don't put the whole thing in the water or you'll have more chance the hairs will pop out!

4. Over plucked brows

Now, I've never fallen victim to 'scouse brow' (a common term for dark, high-arched pencilled in brow favoured by some Liverpudlian ladies - apparently) but I have been known to get 'tweezer happy' if doing my own. If you think you may fall victim, getting your brows done can cost as little as a fiver. Also remember our brows are sisters, not twins, so don't get obsessed with them.

Quick Tip: Only pluck below the brow and not above, be gentle, and steam your face before, this opens pores and follicles meaning the pain will be minimized!

5. Shaving everyday and too much!

Cosmo says "The average woman spend 72 days shaving her legs over the course of her life." Seriously?! That's like 40 more days I could've spent drinking cosmo's! Or as Cosmo states "in 72 days, you could spend a summer backpacking through Europe, or even get married and file for divorce (hey, if Kim Kardashian can do it…)" They also said "We can shave your armpits 10 times in one go!" Woah! Come on guys, we may think we are but we're not that hairy! You really don't need to shave everyday! All that shaving can do some serious skin damage if not just irritation. If you feel like you're shaving too much think of investing waxing - it's honestly not as painful as you think!

Quick Tip: Use your regular hair conditioner as shaving cream - the hair conditioner makes it super easy to shave because it makes your legs super smooth; and it moisturizes your legs at the same time. This trick saves a lot of time, energy and money, and leaves you with super soft, smooth legs. Great if you have sensitive skin!

6. Popping Blemishes

Don't give me the 'I don't do that, it's gross' - we are all guilty of this, at least once! One of the worst things you can do to your skin is pop your spots. Not only can you spread infection under the skin, causing more blemishes to come out to the surface, but you run the risk of scarring. When you pop a spot, it stops being a regular spot and becomes an open wound, which makes it more susceptible to germs and breakouts. Try and find a good facial cleanser instead, it may be dietary why you're getting spots, or any other sins above!

Quick Tip: Drink lots of water to keep skin hydrated and find a good moisturiser that agrees with your skin. Use sparingly, don't slather it on!

7. Applying anything or just touching your face with unclean hands!

Like your make up brushes, think what your hands go through each day... think... now think of them touching your face without washing first! This is like an open invitation for all germs and dirt to have a party in your pores! If you're applying cream, moisturiser serum, make up - anything to your face, always wash your hands before hand!

Quick Tip: Instead of directly touching your makeup, as in sticking your fingers into the product, pour a little out into your palm or scoop a little out with a spoon etc.

So those are my 7 Deadly Beauty Sins - which we've all done at least once! Try and avoid these for a healthier skin care and make up application routine! Hope these helped! They've certainly kept this mug going ok!

I'd love to know if your secret beauty sins are similar -send me links and leave comments and tips below!

Sunday, 22 February 2015

Recently, I've become very aware of my beauty products and if they're tested on animals etc - with this in mind I'm trying to cut down my use of products that may be tested on animals in place of cruelty free products - which gave me a very good reason to let myself loose in Lush! (This said, I must make a point now, not all of my beauty products are likely to be cruelty free and some I will review in future may not be cruelty free - but I am trying!) This is just some of the lovely, lovely Lush products I've been purchasing and reviewing.

I won't be reviewing all of the products in this post as that would be a lot of info to take in all at once, so today it's just the Bubble Bar's.

Mother Superior Bubble Bar: RRP £3.75.
The first thing I noticed about this is it reminded me so much of a character called Finn the Human from my little brothers favourite t.v show Adventure Time, that and it really does smell heavenly. Mother Superior is from the new Mother's Day range and I was quite happy to have gone in the day of the launch a Carlisle and got this little madame before she hit the shelves.Pros: It is such a cute, fun and cheerful little bubble bar. It gives loads of bubbles, an icy blue colour to the water and smells divine with floral scents with hints of citrus. The camomile gives a really calming scent and feeling, meaning you can truly relax. My skin ended up feeling really soft and there was no irritating to any sensitive patches. It last's about 3/4 baths (depending on usage.)

Cons: I had to break this little beauty up was my only con here!

Brightside Bubble BarRRP: £4.75
This is a repurchase for me, I LOVE brightside. Not only for reminding me of my first "nightclub" song, but also because it perks up my day with it's invigorating scents and beautiful colours.

Pros:The citrus scent is really uplifting and invigorating, yet the gardenia extract allows florally hues to seep through and give relaxing and happy bath. I literally can't be miserable in a brightside bath. It lasts about 4/5 baths. Again no irritation to sensitive skin patches.

Cons: Again none! Always a happy chappy with Brightside.

I hope you enjoyed my little review on these bubble bars and I have influenced any future purchases, because I know I'll be buying these bad boys again.

Thursday, 19 February 2015

Ok, I can't quite pull that title off as well as Lisa Kudrow, but I am very aware I'm been ridiculously AWOL from the Blogosphere since (OMG) October last year - my bad! This is because I've been ridiculously busy having a job (as a newspaper Editor - eek!) and becoming locally known as: 'The girl with the red lipstick, due to my mug being plastered across my column in the paper.

With red lipstick in mind, I've gave my blog a bit of an overhaul. It's still all about fashion, beauty and lifestyle, however for more personal post's or my latest antics and thoughts, they can all be caught over at Counting Cows - my other blog!

As well as pulling down my personal posts' I've also took down all my 'Knowing your Shape' posts- fear not, they've simply been pulled down, not to rid my blog of the series, but to give them a revamp, with a more up-to-date style and more attention! Also, you may notice, along with my blog, I took my personal look on a revamp and took 'bronde' one step further and got a cute 'lob' (long bob) - you must all tell me what you think!

Bear with me, as though I've got a new header, it's all under construction still and you will notice odd changes from time to time!

But please continue to follow the beauty, fashion and lifestyle antics from the petite girl with the red lip!